Finding a way out. March. Introducing people to Jesus in the 10/40 Window

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Introducing people to Jesus in the 10/40 Window March Finding a way out By Jeerakit Charoentakoonkit Jeerakit Charoentakoonkit, a Gospel Outreach worker in Bangkok, shares 26-year-old Suthida Saehar

When I was 2 years old, my mother remarried and had five more children. An evil spirit possessed me after I became an adult.

A cousin told my mother about a Seventh- day Adventist pastor who might be able to help.

1 Introducing people to Jesus in the 10/40 Window March Finding a way out By Jeerakit Charoentakoonkit Jeerakit Charoentakoonkit, a Gospel Outreach worker in Bangkok, shares 26-year-old Suthida Saehar s testimony. I was 6 months old, my father died. My came from a Buddhist family. When I mother took care of me and my two older sisters. When I was 2 years old, my mother remarried and had five more children. An evil spirit possessed me after I became an adult. It disturbed me for more than a year and made me live with fear all the time. My stepfather and my mother took me to the temple, to the doctors, and to the spirit medium. But I remained fearful. A cousin told my mother about a Seventh- day Adventist pastor who might be able to help. I went to the church and asked the» Suthida discovered a way of escape from demon possession and illness when she gave her heart to Jesus after Jeerakit, a Gospel Outreach worker, shared messages of hope with her. pastor to give Bible studies to me. I wanted to become a Christian and to get well from a thyroid problem and the bad spirit. The doctor had told me it would be three years before I would be healed from my thyroid problem. goaim.org... continued on page 3

Published monthly by Gospel Outreach goaim.org Vol. 26, No.

ADDRESS CHANGES TO: Adventures in Missions Circulation P.O. Box 8, College Place, WA 99324 Or E-mail: office@goaim.

DIRECTORS Larry Dodds, Chair Brent Scully, Secretary Carl Bauer Ken Crawford Jon Dybdahl Rick McEdward Shirley Panasuk Leo Ranzolin Robert Rawson Dwight Rose Steven Rose Marj Simons Beverly Thompson

2 Published monthly by Gospel Outreach goaim.org Vol. 26, No. 3 ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS TEAM Editor: Nadine Dower Art Director/Designer: Mark Bond Copy Editor: Kevin Waite Circulation Manager: Nadine Reneau Printing: College Press, Collegedale, TN PLEASE SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: Adventures in Missions Circulation P.O. Box 8, College Place, WA Or office@goaim.org ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS President: Brent Scully VP for Administration: Richard Madson VP for Field Operations: Pat Gustin Treasurer: Lois Hellie Associate Treasurer: Danielle Stewart BOARD OF DIRECTORS Larry Dodds, Chair Brent Scully, Secretary Carl Bauer Ken Crawford Jon Dybdahl Rick McEdward Shirley Panasuk Leo Ranzolin Robert Rawson Dwight Rose Steven Rose Marj Simons Beverly Thompson Bruce Thorn Kevin Waite Fred Webb Janet Wilkinson Lenard Wittlake GOSPEL OUTREACH P.O. Box 8 (712 NE C Street) College Place, WA USA (509) office@goaim.org GOSPEL OUTREACH CANADA P.O. Box Kelowna, B.C. V1X 7L7 (778) GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES Now is the time! Two of the smallest countries in Asia are nestled next to each other in Southeast Asia. Thailand and Myanmar each trace their proud history back more than a thousand years. Thailand s population today is approximately 68 million. Fifty-two percent of the country is now urban. Thailand has only one city with a population greater than 1 million Bangkok which is home to more than 5 million people. Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) has a population of nearly 53 million. The country is more than 70 percent rural with three cities with larger than 1 million population Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw. Both countries have a significant population of tribal people who live primarily in the mountainous regions of the north and west. Many challenges for mission remain in both countries. Both are predominantly Buddhist countries 88 percent in Myanmar and 94 percent in Thailand. In addition, Myanmar has a Muslim population of about 4 percent, while Thailand s Muslim population is about 5 percent. All Christian groups together in Myanmar account for 6 percent of the population, while in Thailand, less than 2 percent of the population is Christian. The ratio of Adventist Church members to the population in Myanmar is one member to every 1,695 people, and in Thailand there is only one Seventh-day Adventist Christian for every 4,246 people! The challenge can seem overwhelming!» Pat Gustin, vice president for field operations for Gospel Outreach, served as a missionary in Thailand for 17 years. Today Gospel Outreach partners with the Thailand Adventist Mission and Myanmar Union by supporting 39 local workers. With the small stipends they receive, these workers are primarily located in small villages, seeking to introduce Buddhists, Muslims and animists to Jesus. Please pray for them as they face this daunting task. GOSPEL OUTREACH BRAZIL Instituto de Disseminação do Evangelho Gospel Outreach do Brasil IDE-GO Caixa Postal 44, Engenheiro Coelho, SP, ide-go.org.br secretaria@ide-go.org.br 2 GOSPEL OUTREACH March 2018

«Jeerakit Charoentakoonkit (left) loves to share the gospel of Jesus with people like Suthida Saehar.... continued from cover page After Bible studies, I accepted Jesus Christ and was baptized.

However, whenever I stopped going to church, reading the Bible and praying, my symptoms came back, and I became weak again.

3 «Jeerakit Charoentakoonkit (left) loves to share the gospel of Jesus with people like Suthida Saehar.... continued from cover page After Bible studies, I accepted Jesus Christ and was baptized. I was so happy because my sickness went away, and I became normal sooner than the doctor had expected. However, whenever I stopped going to church, reading the Bible and praying, my symptoms came back, and I became weak again. It took me two years to understand that I should always remain faithful to God. I went back to church, went to the same pastor, confessed my weakness, and asked him to pray for me. Now I go to church every Sabbath and every Wednesday for prayer meetings, even though my house is far from the church. I fast and pray and thank God for His love and grace. I know that God loves me. When I finished my studies, I took a job at the district headquarters as an academic consultant. They even allowed me to have Sabbath off work so that I could attend church. The doctor has pronounced that I am completely recovered from my thyroid problem and that I do not have to come back to see him. This has made me very happy. I gladly testify that God will never leave you or forsake you.» Jeerakit Charoentakoonkit is a Gospel Outreach worker in Bangkok, Thailand, located at the center of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. goaim.org ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 3

4 FEATURE: The Challenge of a Young Wife Becoming an Adventist By Dharmender Ram arita Devi belonged to a Hindu family. She discovered that Adventists are people SOne day she learned that her sisterin-law s family was Adventist and that they she would also become an Adventist who serve the true God. She decided that and worshiped on Saturday, the seventh day of the week. Every evening they offered prayer, thanking God for the whole day. Sarita decided to visit an Adventist church with them and was very pleased. worship the true God. Her family could notice many changes in her and came to know that she was accepting Jesus Christ and going to church on Saturday. Sarita s other in-laws did not 4 GOSPEL OUTREACH March 2018

She put the clothes aside and attended church. People around her started hating her for changing her religion.

5 like this, and did not treat her well. Sarita used to finish all her work on Friday and attend church on Sabbath. One Saturday, the mother-in-law gave her lots of clothes to wash, and Sarita worried that she might not be able to go to church, but she chose to obey God. She put the clothes aside and attended church. People around her started hating her for changing her religion. Sarita never gave up her faith in Jesus and prayed that her husband would also accept the truth.» Sarita Devi held fast to her faith. She is happy to have her husband attend church with her each Sabbath. God answered her prayer. Now both she and her husband attend church. They read the word of God together and pray together. Soon they will be baptized.» Dharmender Ram is a Gospel Outreach worker in India. goaim.org ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 5

FIELD NOTES Santosh s Amazing Ride Rajasthan, India Santosh Ghamire, a GO worker, with his wife, Sarite, and their 1½-yearold son, Ashis, were headed to Bharatpur by motorbike.

Not realizing that his wife was still exchanging a phone number with her sister instead of sitting on the bike behind their little boy, Santosh started the 15-kilometer trek (about 9½ miles) to

6 FIELD NOTES Santosh s Amazing Ride Rajasthan, India Santosh Ghamire, a GO worker, with his wife, Sarite, and their 1½-yearold son, Ashis, were headed to Bharatpur by motorbike. Sarite s sister lives on the way, so the family stopped for a visit before continuing on to Bharatpur. After farewells, Santosh got on the motorbike with Ashis. Not realizing that his wife was still exchanging a phone number with her sister instead of sitting on the bike behind their little boy, Santosh started the 15-kilometer trek (about 9½ miles) to Bharatpur. Sarite ran after them screaming, but Santosh could not hear her over the noise of the bike. Sarite kept running, screaming and crying for help. When a bus came by, she boarded, hoping to catch up with Santosh, but soon Santosh was out of sight. Sarite sorrowfully prepared herself for a phone call from the hospital telling her of a terrible accident.» Santosh and Sarite carried their baby boy, Ashis, on their motorbike on the busy road to Bharatpur, stopping along the way at the home of Sarite s sister. Upon reaching Bharatpur, Santosh was so shocked to see that his wife wasn t with them that he described his sinking sensation as falling off the roof. He felt foolish and was stunned that a child so young could cling tightly all that distance. He imagined how Sarite must feel and tried to call her on his cell phone, but there was no signal. Then he found a telephone booth and was able to reach her. Of course, both were full of joy and thanksgiving that Ashis was safe. The family finally reunited in Bharatpur. They believe that God sent His angels to protect Ashis. After hearing of this experience, Sarite s sister also now believes in Christ. Santosh and Sarite plan to build a church in that area in praise to the Lord for His mercy and blessings. Please remember them in prayer as they continue to share Jesus love with those who don t know Him. 6 GOSPEL OUTREACH March 2018

THE MAIL BOX I enjoy reading the Adventures in Missions magazine and would like to keep receiving it. I like hearing what is happening around the world and close to where I live.

org KBLN Grants Pass, OR betterlifetv.tv FOLLOW GOSPEL OUTREACH facebook.com/gospel1040 KHBA Spokane, WA khba.com LLBN Loma Linda, CA llbn.tv RCCTV Sacramento, CA isbsacramento.org/rcctv.

7 THE MAIL BOX I enjoy reading the Adventures in Missions magazine and would like to keep receiving it. I like hearing what is happening around the world and close to where I live. May the Lord bless you as you tell the gospel message. I ll be praying for you also. T. F., Washington My daily prayers are for this ministry. God bless! C. D., Washington Amazing how God knows the best way to touch and reach each heart. Every month, the stories in your newsletter inspire me. K. T., Wisconsin WATCH ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 3ABN 3abn.org Blue Mountain TV College Place, WA bluemttv.com Good News TV Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Flagstaff, Payson, Phoenix, Prescott, Tucson, and Yuma mygoodnewstv.com HOPE Channel hopetv.org KBLN Grants Pass, OR betterlifetv.tv FOLLOW GOSPEL OUTREACH facebook.com/gospel1040 KHBA Spokane, WA khba.com LLBN Loma Linda, CA llbn.tv RCCTV Sacramento, CA isbsacramento.org/rcctv.html Roku Add the Gospel Outreach channel to your favorites. SAFETV safetv.org instagram.com/gospel1040 IN MEMORY Irma Avella George Akers Roger Bothwell Alan Frost Mary Lou Graves Benjamin Guerrero Carmen Guerrero Mr. & Mrs. G. R. Guerrero Stanley Hickerson Bill Hunter Allen Iseminger Jeanne Riederer Larson Robert Manley Robson & Isabel Newbold Arnold & Carol Pflugrad Mary Rick Charles Rochat Mary Ellen & Ernie Schwab Jack Sherman Lorelei Jolene Sproed Alicia Stevens Rick Trott Frank Wyman IN HONOR Herbert & Alvaletta Ammon Robert Manley Mary Rick Willie & Ilene Rogers (70th Anniversary) Jack Sherman Barbara Wyman goaim.org ADVENTURES IN MISSIONS 7

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8 GOSPEL OUTREACH PRESENTS TELL FELLOWSHIP, MUSIC & MISSION REPORTS MISSION RALLY Walla Walla University Church April 3:30 p.m. GOSPEL OUTREACH (509) goaim.org or adoptaworker.org PO Box 8, College Place, WA Address service requested NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID CHATTANOOGA, TN PERMIT NO. 1114

For His name s sake. November Introducing people to Jesus in the 10/40 Window. by Beverly Thompson

For His name s sake. November Introducing people to Jesus in the 10/40 Window. by Beverly Thompson Introducing people to Jesus in the 10/40 Window November 2018 10 YEARS IN BHUTAN For His name s sake by Beverly Thompson G ospel Outreach s work in Bhutan started a decade ago with a Bible worker we ll